RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi Guys a little family history the photo is of H.M.S.Centurion the line shows her at the beachhead (Omaha) this is the ship is the one my Dad was on at the D-Day landings,He told me about it the fact the decks were coverd with coal ,the main guns 12inch were carried by two men aboard made from cardboard ,she was sunk as a breakwater for the mullberry harbour while my Dad was on her,my Dad said what a way to go to war cardboard guns decks full of coal and the hull full of explosives,the only guns that worked were 20mm oerlikon guns which is what My Dad was on and the only people shooting at him were Americans (No anti aircraft disapline ).He was later landed at Gold beach.

regards pete

An interesting piece of info, thanks for that.

I have been to Omaha many times, I often stay at Arromanches when in France and know the place like the back of my hand. During the D-Day anniversary celebrations I get to chat to the vets as they all visit, though the numbers reduce as the years go by.

I have spoken with medics who were on the beach and listened in awe as they relate what was going on, and the foot soldiers including Welsh, English, and US who were in the thick of it. I couldn't even begin to describe the horrors that they went through, truly incredible stuff that you always imagine happened, but brought to life when the guy who was there is stood in front of you telling you about it.

The one thing that has always struck me is how not one of them ever 'brags' about any of it, they just tell it how it was, though they all say that it left memories and nightmares that have never faded over the years.

One tale was from the Brit landings. The landing craft could not get near to the beach, so they simply got as close as they could and dropped the ramps. Bear in mind that the seas were very rough, and that even a short distance out the depth of water was over 6ft. These guys were carrying guns, ammunition, and backpacks, being shot and bombed to hell, and there were waves crashing over them. How many soldiers were over 6ft tall?

That was how many perished, they were ordered off the landing craft and immediately sank below the water line. The lucky ones had a tall 'mate' who dragged them ashore. They were then on the beach, soaked and weighed down with waterlogged everything, and still being used as target practice.

If that wasn't bad enough, one guy I spoke to told me that on the landing craft was a bicycle. This was for the officers batman who would use it for despatch purposes. The officer simply told the guy I was talking to, to take his batmans bicycle ashore with him, and when he picked it up he was so weighed down that he could barely move. The officer shoved him into the sea, at which point the 5'5" Private was drowning. Luckily his mate saw him, grabbed him and brough him back to the surface. His mate was killed when they hit the beach.

I will also never forget the 80 year old ex-U.S. medic I chatted with one evening, when we left the bar he walked back up the hill to the motor home he was staying in, and I shared part of the route with him...I can tell you what, he was marching bolt upright and I was struggling to keep up!